Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-28
NATIONAL DRILL.
The BeIknap Rifles Of San Antonio
Declared by Spectators to Have
Won the First Prize.
A San Antonio Rifles Man Wins First
Prize in the Silent Competitive
Drill With Sixty Contestants.
The Rifle Practice at Short and Long
Range a Feature of the Day-The
Memphis Zouaves.
The Texas Boys do VOL

The Texas Boys do VOL
Special to the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, May 27.-The drill to
day was enlivened by the drilling OF the
Texas boys. The Belknap Rifles had
plenty of friends in the grand stand who
applauded them generously. They were
uniformed in blue trousers with red
stripes, blue frock coats trimmed with red,
single row of brass buttons down the
front and white helmet with red
plumes. Their manual was
good, and their bsyonets were
fixed and unfXed with unusual precision.
The firing by files and by the company
was also good. They knelt and fired
equally well, but it looked very much as
if they did not open their cartridge boxes.
When the company fired lying down the
captain remained standing, the first mis-
take of that kind, if it. was a mistake.
Their exhibition was the best OF the
day up to that time, and they
were placed IN the front ranks.
The Belknap Rifles had not been on the
ground five minutes before the audience
realized that they were a superior COM
pany. Before they had finished the re-
CURED programme handed their captain
by the Judges they had many partisans
whe declared they would capture the first
prize, but that point the judges
will have to decide, for the pub
lie mind could scarcely draw any
conclusions between the drilling OF the
| two crack companies. In all the manual
of arms they we're simply perfect. Not
| break was made and they were applsuded
| TO the echo. In their evolutions, too,
there was scarcely break, one, or posi-
bly, two, slight mistakes being noticed by
the critic, and yet there was not quite
| the ease and finish which was one OF the
strongest parts of the drilling Of the To-
ledo cadets.
The next to appear were the San An
tonic Rifles. They, toe, were crack
company and went through the drill with
such ease as to only raise more doubt
EiI-tfe minds of those who occupied the
Stand, while in the manual they were as
good as WAS to be expected. Their evo-
lutions were not up to the high standard
already reached, and their firing by COM
pany was quite uneven,
THE NATIONAL DRILL.
WASHINGTON, May 27,-At the nationai
drill to-day the performance of the
BeIknap Rifles throughout was excellent
and their work in the manual OF arms
superb. Their volley firing was superior
to anything yet seen during the drill.
The exercise of the Gatlin gun squad
was in progress and battalion inspection
aud the drill was going on in a distant
part Of the ground, and though public
attention was chiefly absorbed by the
competing companies in front of the
center, the evOlutions of the others
added vastly to the interest. The whole
making charming military picture.
The San Antonio Rifles did not appear
inferior to their predecessors in appear.
ance, and to the eyes of Laymen aCquit-
ted themselves with equal credit.
The Lomax Rifles of Mobile, Ala, came
with a record of many victories in the
field of competitive drilling, and much
was expected of them. The public were
in no wise disappointed in their perform
ance, and the popular verdict accords
them piece beside the foremost of their
predecessors.
The Manchester company was the last
on the list for to-dsy's competition. 1t
made a good general record without con-
spicuOus excellences or merits.
RIFLE PRACTICE.
The competitive rife practice was COM
pleted this morning with firing at 800 and
900 yards ranges. There were original
entries from twenty-five states, thirty |
eight competitors qualified a. short
range and thirty competed for full
scores. The prizes were one gold medal
and 500 to the first man, silver medals |
and SIS each to the three next best and !
bronze medal and $50 each to the four |
next best. The highest possible total
score was 200, and the highest possible
score at each range fifty. The scores Of
the eight prize winners at the four ranges |
in the order of merit ere as follows: